Hearts on Fire
by 4MeJasper
Summary: Hearts on Fire What if it wasn't the Civil War? What if Jasper had gone to Vietnam? Imagine a Twilight that starts in the late 1960's, where social rules and roles were strict but starting to break down in the tumult of the times. A time of change across society; a time when the logging industry was still king in Forks.
1. Chapter 1

Hearts on Fire

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 1 - Trouble

"He's trouble," all the girls whispered. "But what a way to go."

Bella tried to steal furtive glances at him from her seat, but Jasper Whitlock always seemed to catch her. She blushed and looked down at her notebook when his eyes caught hers. It was all so embarrassing. She was sure he could read the crush she had on him like it was printed in a cartoon bubble over her head.

"Miss Swan?" Miss Dempsey's voice startled Bella.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied automatically. Had she missed a question?

"Answer the question please," the frumpily dressed teacher said.

"Tennessee," Jasper whispered, careful to keep his eyes glued to the teacher standing at the front of the classroom.

"Yes, ma'am. Tennessee," Bella replied.

"Very good," Miss Dempsey said, looking mildly disappointed. "Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union in 1861."

Though Bella tried to stay focused, it was an unusually warm day in April, and the classroom windows were open. A breeze blew in with the fresh scent of rain on pine trees. They would be closed when the sound of the lumbermen's saws began to disturb the class.

Finally, the bell rang and Miss Dempsey's endless droning about the Civil War came to an end.

Bella gathered her papers and made her way to the next class. At least Mr. Banner wasn't boring.

Today Mr. Banner deviated from his usual science lectures. Instead of pulling down a chart or writing on the chalkboard, he stood in front of his desk, leaning against it and looking into the classroom with a thoughtful expression. "Due to recent developments, I thought that today we should discuss the situation in Vietnam." The draft and the anti-war protests had been dominating the news for weeks.

For once the room went silent. No groans, muffled whispers, or the sound of papers rustling. Then the boys began to shuffle in their seats. Eric raised his hand. "My brother got his induction notice last night. He leaves at the end of next month."

Mr. Banner nodded.

Bella looked around. Forks depended on labor for the lumber industry, and a lot of her classmates, as well as guys across the county, were shipping out to Vietnam. Eric's brother wasn't the first. A number of boys from graduating classes ahead of hers had been sent to Southeast Asia. Several had already returned, and in some cases she had attended their funerals with the rest of the town.

She glanced over at Jasper again. For once, he didn't notice. His face never left Mr. Banner's, and he looked deep in thought.

The class was soon involved in a lively discussion about the Vietnam War, which was being shown on the nightly news on TVs across Forks. Jasper followed the conversation with great seriousness, though he didn't contribute until Mr. Banner called on him. When he did, he surprised the class with the amount of detail he knew about the conflict. The battles, the names, the geography of Southeast Asia. He asked questions that Mr. Banner admitted he didn't have answers for and would have to research.

"I seem to have found a topic that interests you," Mr. Banner said as the bell rang.

Jasper lingered by Mr. Banner's desk on his way out of the classroom, and Bella was close enough to hear his answer. "My relatives fought in the Civil War and most of the wars since," Jasper replied. "I reckon this is going to be my war, so I might as well know what's going on."

Bella shivered. She didn't want to see Jasper go. Would he volunteer? As she gathered up her books and papers she noticed she still had her homework. She rustled it a bit, looking at the graph she had made, hoping to hear a bit more of their conversation, but Jasper turned and left. Mr. Banner had been so involved he hadn't asked them to hand in their homework, so she slid it back into her notebook. Plenty of time to turn it in tomorrow.

The rest of the day passed more quietly. She had a pop quiz in Calculus and a vocabulary test in French III. Between classes, she looked for Jasper in the halls but only saw him once. He pretty much kept to himself. He hadn't really fallen in with the other kids from school, though he was on the baseball team. She wondered if they were giving him the cold shoulder because they considered him a logger, someone from the outside who hadn't grown up with them.

But no one could argue about his value for the baseball team. His lean body seemed to freeze to attention before he swung at the most impossible pitches, knocking the ball far before flashing toward first base. He could run and steal the bases like a dream. She had started going to the games just to watch him. He loved playing this game. His eyes shone with excitement, his foot tapping restlessly when he was in the outfield.

She, meanwhile, was doodling his name in the margins of her notebook, and occasionally adding a "Mrs. Jasper Whitlock" to boot. Seeing her name joined to his with a "Mrs." gave her shivers. She hoped nobody ever saw those pages.

Xx

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	2. Chapter 2 - The Ride Home

Hearts on Fire

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 2 – Ride Home

"_He's trouble," all the girls whispered. "But what a way to go."_

…

_Bella, meanwhile, was doodling his name in the margins of her notebook, and occasionally adding a "Mrs. Jasper Whitlock" to boot. She hoped nobody ever saw those pages._

After school, Bella stood outside waiting for her father to pick her up. He always insisted on picking her up from school. As she waited, Jessica and Lauren came to stand next to her.

Jessica had a steady, Mike Newton. They were already talking about marriage after graduation.

"We're planning for the reception to be in Port Angeles," Jessica told her for the hundredth time at least. "I wanted Seattle, but my mother said it was too far. There's a nice reception hall there, and my father called in a favor." Jessica couldn't stop talking about this wedding.

As for Bella, she was hoping to go to college after high school. She had been researching schools to apply to next year during her senior year, but everything would depend on scholarship money.

The wind blew, and she held her skirt down, smoothing it with her hand. It was a nice enough day that she wasn't wearing her coat, but was carrying it over her arm.

Where was Charlie though? She often had to wait while Charlie attended to some emergency, but Lauren and Jessica were driving her crazy with their chatter about their marriage plans. Fortunately, Lauren's brother pulled up in his old beater, and the girls left. As they pulled off, Jasper Whitlock appeared next to her on the sidewalk.

"Thanks for the help in Social Studies today," Bella said.

"No problem," Jasper replied. "You probably knew the answer. I mean you usually do, when you're not distracted…"

Bella flushed, feeling hot as her blood pounded through her body. Was he teasing her? Wait. Was he flirting? What should she say?

The situation was resolved when her father pulled up in his squad car. Jasper loped off after saying, "Afternoon, sir," to Charlie.

"Hi, Dad. Thanks for coming," she told him as she got in.

"No problem. Sorry to make you wait. There was a little fender bender by the bridge. Was that Jeb Whitlock's nephew?"

"Yes, that was Jasper Whitlock," Bella replied.

"Good looking kid," he said.

"He was just asking a question about homework," Bella mumbled.

"Mm-hm. Miss Weber," he called out to Angela. Angela turned to face them, carrying her usual impossible armload of books. "Can we give you a lift somewhere?"

Angela smiled. "I'm just going to the library. I'll be fine."

"Very well," he said, but didn't start the car.

Bella knew they would be following Angela to the library. It was already the logging season, and Charlie just didn't feel it was safe for the girls to walk unescorted. Too many strange men in town.

They weren't able to pull straight out of the parking lot as two huge logging trucks carrying full loads lumbered past, blocking the entrance. Finally Charlie put on his siren to stop any further cars and pulled out. "We need a stop light in this town," he grumbled.

By the time he caught up to Angela, she had already reached the library, but she waved at them. "Thank you, sir," she said.

"That's a nice girl," Charlie remarked.

"Yeah, she is," Bella replied.

And that was the extent of their conversation.

Neither Bella nor Charlie were big talkers. Renee could talk for both of them, and Bella knew she would as soon as they walked in the door. Probably explaining what had caused the burnt smell coming from the kitchen. Renee tried hard, but she just didn't seem to be able to focus on housekeeping. Despite her failings in those basic marital duties, Charlie loved her in his quiet way. Even Bella could see it in the way his eyes followed his wife when her back was turned. When she was looking at him, though, he seemed preoccupied with the newspaper or whatever was on TV.

During the rest of their quiet ride home, Bella went back to dreaming about Jasper Whitlock.

As the whole town knew, Jasper was here with his Uncle Jeb. Jeb was unusual for a logger as he had actually bought a bit of land and built a cabin on it, which was not the standard practice. Usually the loggers just bunked together in huge camps built by the logging companies. Some of these cabins were hauled from location to location. The men lived in close quarters, working outside when the sun was up, doing laundry and keeping up their equipment when they were done with the day's work for the logging company. It was a hard and dangerous life. Jeb had lived in a company bunkhouse until his nephew arrived, and then Jeb had built a cabin for the two of them. Jeb told people who asked that a boy in school needed privacy to do his studies. He needed to know there was more out there for him.

Sometimes it seemed that the whole town whispered about the handsome newcomer who was attending their high school. "Got a girl in trouble back home," they all said. Looking at him, it wasn't hard to imagine. Jasper was good-looking with his wavy blond hair. He wore it a little long. Almost long enough to be called a hippie, but nobody did. He had a way of staring at someone, and they would somehow change their minds about what they were going to say or do.

Still she dreamed of him, day and night.

Xx

So, here is my first chapter. What do you think? Please leave a review.

I will send a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Meeting

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 3 – the Meeting

_Sometimes it seemed that the whole town whispered about the handsome newcomer who was attending their high school. "Got a girl in trouble back home," they all said. Looking at him, it wasn't hard to imagine. Jasper was good-looking with his wavy blond hair. He wore it a little long. Almost enough for them to call him a hippie, but nobody did. He had a way of staring at someone, and they would somehow change their minds about what they were going to say or do._

_Still she dreamed of him, day and night._

The next day, Bella sat outside after school. It was one of the rare days of sunshine in late April. The summer would bring rain-free days, but they didn't usually start this early.

The school year, her junior year, was nearly over. Just a few more weeks to summer. She leaned back, feeling the sun on her face, then pulled her book out and began to read.

A shadow crossed the page and she looked up, shading her eyes.

Jasper Whitlock, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt, was standing in front of her. Looking like sin on two legs.

"May I join you, Miss Swan?" he asked.

She blushed. He sounded so formal and polite, and there was that hint of a Texas drawl. Most of the kids in class called her Bella outside of school, not Miss Swan.

"Yes," she said, moving her purse to one side and smoothing down her skirt. She caught herself reaching up for her hair, but knew it was in place. The hairspray Renee applied to her bouffant would hold it in anything short of a cyclone.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

It was actually a trashy novel, Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls, so she tried to hide it. Too late.

He looked at the cover. "My, my. I think even I've heard of this one. Any good?" He gently tugged the book from her hands, glancing at the back cover and then back at her, a mischievous smile on his face.

She blushed. "Please don't tell. Lauren lent it to me."

"What's wrong with reading a book?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just that…" she paused.

"You've got an image to uphold," he finished, his smile gone.

She stared at the ground, working the grass with her fingers. He sat down next to her then leaned back on his elbow, stretching those longs legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankle.

"I don't know which would be worse. Being the preacher's daughter, like Miss Weber, or being the sheriff's daughter," he said, pulling a blade of grass up and putting it in his mouth.

"Is that why you're talking to me? Tempting the law?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I'm here because you're pretty. And smart. You always know all the answers, though you don't raise your hand."

She blushed again and squirmed. She sensed one of her garters cutting her leg as she moved.

"You like smart girls?" she asked, startled at her own boldness.

He grinned, an easy grin, like she imagined the Texas sun would appear. "Just you," he answered.

She couldn't think of an answer to that, so they sat quietly together for a few minutes. She played nervously with the hem of her dress. He took a chunk of wood from his the breast pocket of the plaid shirt, pulled a jackknife from his jeans, and started whittling.

Bella stared at his hands, fascinated, watching the ease with which he turned the wood and used the knife. He was focused on his work, so she let her eyes roam over his chest, up his chin and to his face. She paused, taking in those long eyelashes. Since he was looking down, she couldn't see his blue eyes, but she remembered them well. So blue you could swim in them, she thought.

"What are you making?" she finally asked.

"Nothing. Just whittling."

She watched as he worked the wood for a few more minutes.

"It's not true what they say about me, you know," he said softly. "You don't have to worry."

"I wasn't…"

Jasper shushed her. "I know what everybody's saying. I can feel the ladies' eyes on me, and the guys ask a lot of questions, questions I don't have answers for." He looked around, then stood up. "I think that's your father."

She turned her head. Charlie had just pulled up across the street and was watching the two of them from his car.

Jasper reached out a hand and helped her to her feet.

She smoothed her skirt as he picked up her books and handed them to her. "Thank you," she said.

He waved to her father and she walked to the curb where he was waiting in his patrol car. She got in, glancing over her shoulder as she fastened her seatbelt. Jasper was still staring at her, his hands in his pockets. She blushed, then looked at the rearview mirror in time to see Charlie watching her. He noticed everything, she knew that.

"He was asking me about a homework assignment," she said.

"I wasn't saying anything," Charlie said. "Good looking kid, though. Be careful."

Xxx

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	4. Chapter 4 - Lunch

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 4 – Lunch

"_He was asking me about a homework assignment," Bella said._

"_I wasn't saying anything," Charlie said. "Good looking kid, though. Be careful."_

The next day, Bella found Jasper leaning against her locker when she got to school. He walked her to first period, and as simple as that, they became a couple. Jasper always found her between classes. He carried her books for her, effortlessly taking them from her as she exited her classroom. How he got there she didn't know, as all classes ended at the same bell. I must dawdle a lot more than I realize, she thought when she saw his silhouette outside her classroom as she gathered her papers and closed her notebook. She smiled at the image of him racing between classes, like stealing bases on the baseball diamond.

That first day together, when they walked to the lunch room, he put his hand in the middle of her back, steering her gently to one of the tables. As if she didn't know how to walk through the lunch room, she thought. Still, it was a thrill. As usual, she had brought her lunch, and they sat at a table by the windows.

She pulled out the sandwich she had made that morning: American cheese on Wonder Bread. Jasper unwrapped a couple of pieces of barbequed chicken, and they looked really good.

"Chicken?" she asked.

"My uncle barbeques," Jasper replied. "The men keep telling him he could open a restaurant, it's so good. Try some?"

"No, that's your lunch…" she began, but he had already pulled off a piece and held it up to her lips.

She took it from him gingerly. "Wow, that's good!" she exclaimed, her eyes opening wide with surprise. It was good. The sauce was nothing she had tasted before, sweet yet smoky, and the chicken was moist.

When they were done with the sandwich and chicken, she pulled out her apple. "Would you like some?" she asked.

He pulled the jack knife from his jeans, took the apple under the table and quickly sliced it into eight pieces. When he was done he wiped the blade with a napkin before folding the knife and put it back in his pocket.

She watched, trying not to feel nervous about either the sight of the knife blade inside school or the ease with which he cut the apple.

"Are you supposed to have that out?" she blurted out, then blushed.

He grinned. "Lots of uses," he replied cryptically. "Going to turn me in?"

"Of course not," she said. "You just startled me, that's all."

He smiled again. "I didn't think so. Just teasing, that's all."

After they were done eating, they still had a few minutes, so they looked at the kids sitting at the other tables.

"So which of those girls are your friends?" Jasper asked.

She looked down. "Not so many," she said, twisting her napkin. "I mean, I've lived here all my life, but…"

"Never mind," he replied. "I have a pretty good idea of who they are." He nodded at Angela and Christina. Christina was staring at them from across the room but looked away when Jasper waved at her.

"That's right," she said. "How did you know?"

"Had my eye on you for a while," he replied.

Bella noticed he had both hands under the table. She leaned over to peek at what he was doing and saw he was whittling.

"You're whittling?" she asked.

He nodded and she looked back up and around the room. For some reason, the sight of the knife worried her. Not that he would use it, but wasn't there some kind of rule prohibiting knives in school?

Jasper seemed to pick up on her uncertainty as he stuffed the piece of wood into his breast pocket. She hadn't even noticed when he took it out. He didn't put the knife back though, she could hear him tapping it lightly against the table leg.

"Yeah, just one of those habits you pick up. I like having something to do with my hands, that's all," Jasper said.

He looked up to see Mrs. Dempsey approaching them. "Here comes trouble," he whispered.

On impulse, Bella reached under the table and grabbed the knife, slipping it from his hand under the table and putting it into her purse.

The teacher stood in front of them with her arms folded, guarding them. She was soon joined by the principal, Mr. Quigley, who took a minute to adjust his glasses before addressing them.

"Mr. Whitlock, I'm told you have a knife with you," Mr. Quigley said formally.

"No, Sir, I don't," Jasper replied.

The principal looked at Mrs. Dempsey.

"Several students reported seeing you cut up an apple," Mrs. Dempsey said.

"That was my apple, and it was already cut. I brought it from home." Bella stood up, shaking, nervous. After all, she had the knife. "I think you should just all leave him alone," she said loudly.

Mr. Quigley looked at Mrs. Dempsey questionly. "Well, I didn't see the knife," Mrs. Dempsey admitted. "But Kevin Muir said he did. He's a shop student and would certainly know a knife if he saw one."

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your lunch then, Mr. Whitlock. Miss Swan," Mr. Quigley said, and left.

When the bell rang, Jasper and Bella walked out of the lunch room hand in hand. Jasper escorted her to her class and left her at the door, saying, "Back in a while," before loping off to his own classroom.

Those first few days, everyone stared at them as they walked the halls holding hands. The girls gawked, putting their hands to their mouths and whispering as Bella walked by.

A week after they were together, a few of the popular seniors gathered around Bella as she changed clothes after gym class.

"So, what's he like?" Cindy asked.

"I don't know," she said.

"Oh, c'mon. I'd do it with him," Tammy said.

Bella blushed and tried to leave.

"Wait, don't tell me you're not doing it?" Tammy and Cindy exchanged glances.

"That's between them," said Lauren, walking up and surprising Bella. The other girls caught the hint and moved off to their row of lockers.

She smiled at Lauren gratefully, but her puzzled gratitude quickly turned to annoyance.

"So," Lauren whispered, "what's it like?"

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't know. He's a perfect gentleman," she answered. She put her gym clothes in her bag and left, slamming the locker, leaving a startled Laruen gaping at her as she walked out.

Xxx

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	5. Chapter 5 - Dinner Invitation

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 5 – Dinner Invitation

"_So," Lauren whispered, "what's it like?"_

"_I'm sorry, but I wouldn't know. He's a perfect gentleman," she answered. She put her gym clothes in her bag and left, slamming the locker, leaving a startled Laruen gaping at her as she walked out._

"You should invite your beau over to dinner," Charlie said after dinner a few nights later. "Time for me to meet him."

"Dad, really, it's nothing," Bella began.

"No, really. I see you two together," Charlie replied. "I want to know who's talking to my girl. He's not a local boy. Nice dinner, thanks, honey," he said to Renee.

"What boy?" asked Renee.

"Jeb Whitlock's nephew, Jasper," Charlie told her.

"Oh." Renee giggled. "He's cute."

Charlie and Bella both froze, staring at Renee.

"Well, I see them shopping together," Renee said, a tad defensively. "Jeb helped me pick out some vegetables. You know, Jeb barbeques. I saw him buy coal at the store. We had a nice chat in the checkout lane."

And so it was that two nights later, Jasper Whitlock came to the Swan house.

When the doorbell rang, Charlie beat Bella to the door.

She heard Jasper say, "Chief Swan," respectfully, and heard her father say, "Son," in reply.

Charlie led him into the kitchen, where Jasper presented Bella with a bouquet, pink tulips and white mums.

Charlie took the flowers and handed them to Renee, who put them in a water glass as she seemed unsure of where she had put the vases.

Bella blushed watching, and stood nervously. She didn't know what to do. Stay in the kitchen with Renee, fuss over the dining room table, or go into the living room with Charlie and Jasper. She had on a new dress, a little shorter than Charlie would have liked, but then she was growing up. She would be leaving home soon, and he had to get used to that idea. Or so she told herself.

Renee gave her a nudge. "Why don't you get Jasper settled in the living room and I'll call when dinner's ready."

"Yes, ma'am," she said automatically. She never called Renee "ma'am," but she was nervous. She smiled at Jasper who was giving her one of his easy grins. Almost immediately she felt herself relax. She could lose herself in those grins.

Charlie held out his hand, gesturing Jasper toward the living room, and Bella followed, just praying she wouldn't trip and fall on her face.

"You play ball, don't you?" Charlie asked Jasper, breaking the silence.

"Yes, sir," Jasper replied. They started to discuss the team's prospects for the season while Bella stared at her hands. She could talk, right?

Fortunately, it was only a few minutes before Renee called them for dinner.

Renee had made fried chicken and had managed to burn it slightly. It wasn't one of her signature dishes. Nothing was, actually. They got by though.

Everyone in town knew about Renee's lack of domestic skills. The Home Ec teacher had spent extra time with Bella, but Bella's lack of interest, beyond learning the basics, had them all murmuring that she would be following in her mother's footsteps.

Bella shivered at the thought. Stuck in Forks?

For dinner tonight, thanks to her Home Ec's teacher's suggestions, Bella contributed a green salad, made with iceberg lettuce, celery and carrots; mashed potatoes; and green beans (from a can).

Jasper was charming and ate everything Renee put in front of him. He asked Charlie about his work and answered questions about the heat in Texas and how many horses his family had. He managed to regale Charlie with stories about life on the ranch where he grew up.

Bella thought the conversation was going smoothly until Renee put her fork down, looked coquettishly and Jasper, and asked, "So what brought you up here then?"

"My mother didn't like Uncle Jed being her by himself," Jasper said. "He's her younger brother and had always been a second father to me. So I decided to join him up here in his self-imposed exile."

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"He had some words with a fellow rancher," Jasper said. "Decided to try logging for a while, that's all."

"Hmm," said Charlie.

"There's probably more to it than that. When he gets around to telling me, then I'll know," Jasper said.

"Very mature," remarked Renee.

Jasper nodded. "Thank you, ma'am," he replied.

After dinner, Charlie and Jasper went into the living room and discussed the upcoming baseball season. The Seattle Pilots were in the news, and Bella knew that once Jasper got the normally reticent Charlie going on that subject, he could carry on all night.

As Bella worked to scrub the charred pieces of chicken out of the frying pan, Renee whispered, "Your father didn't marry me for my cooking."

"What then?" Bella whispered back. Renee giggled.

They were more like sisters than mother and daughter. Her mother really was beautiful. She had been watching the fashions and hairstyles, and Bella knew she had bought a few of the mini-dresses that were all the rage but would never wear them outside the house. She had an image to keep up as Charlie's wife.

Sometimes Bella thought she might be suffocating, but really, her father was so nice.

They had their TV, and she and Charlie watched the world news on it every night together. Sometimes, Charlie would listen to the ball games on the radio while Renee listened to the latest pop music.

Renee had fan and music magazines sent to the house, and she loved the London scene. "I would love to go there. It's where everything is, you know? Carnaby Street. The Beatles. Of course, I would just be an old lady, to them."

"Mom, you're not old," Bella would tell her.

"You're so sweet," Renee always answered.

But they didn't grow out their hair and wear it like the models who hung out with the rock stars. Instead, they would both use curlers at night, and Renee had her regular appointment at the beauty parlor on Thursdays. In Forks, Renee was Mrs. Swan, as the beautician called her, before she was anyone else.

And so it was that Renee, Charlie and Bella had their lives in the small town of Forks, lives that felt distant from the happenings of the world, whether in Seattle, New York, or swinging London.

The spring days lengthened into summer, and Bella's junior year at Forks High came to an end.

Xxx

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	6. Chapter 6 - Jeb's Cabin

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN POSTING. DUE TO TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH FANFICTION, I COULD NOT UPLOAD THE CHAPTER AT THE USUAL TIME.

Chapter 6 – Jeb's Cabin

_And so it was that Renee, Charlie and Bella had their lives in the small town of Forks, lives that felt distant from the happenings of the world, whether in Seattle, New York, or swinging London._

_The spring days lengthened into summer, and Bella's junior year at Forks High came to an end._

That summer, Jasper spent his days working beside his uncle for the lumber company.

Renee was very curious about the little cabin Jeb had built. "So has Jasper taken you to his uncle's cabin?" Renee asked Bella one night at dinner.

Charlie nearly choked on his Spam and lima bean casserole. (Author's note - Yes there really was such a thing. Charlie's doing a good job choking it down.)

"I haven't been to see it," Bella said.

Charlie grunted, relaxing, eying the rest of his pink and green concoction warily before picking up another forkful.

Renee stared at Charlie. "I'm just curious to see it. A real log cabin," she said. "Like Abraham Lincoln. I just think it's enterprising of him."

That ended the conversation, but Bella was sure her mother hadn't let it go.

Sure enough, the next afternoon when Bella came home, she was startled to find Renee taking a covered dish out of the oven. And the kitchen smelled good.

"Wow, something smells fantastic, Mom," Bella said.

"Bella, I think it would be nice to take Jeb and Jasper something homemade. I mean, they're living out there in the woods. It may have been a while since they had a proper dinner."

Renee had found an excuse to stop by, Bella realized. She was going to take them a casserole. "That's a nice dish," Bella remarked at the yellow Pyrex.

"I asked Angela's mother for a recipe, and she came by this afternoon," Renee answered. "It's a chicken casserole, made with cream of mushroom soup. She brought the dish with her, with a recipe card inside. Such a nice lady. I really should make more time to go over and visit with her. Imagine being a minister's wife all the time. Must get boring."

"Is Dad coming?" Bella asked.

Renee looked at her, her eyes laughing. "After the lima bean and Spam casserole last night? He'll be calling in about five minutes to tell me he's working late and will pick up something at the diner."

"You did that on purpose?"

"Works like a charm," Renee said.

"Um, wow. OK then. I hope we can find the cabin," Bella said.

"Oh, I got directions from Jeb at the store. He was showing me how to select watermelon. That man does know his watermelon. Was cracking me up telling me stories about how he would sneak into the neighbor's field and take a few. Said if you're going to swipe a watermelon, which required outrunning the family dog, you want a ripe one. Turns out, the neighbors knew about it all along."

The phone rang, and Renee ran her hand over her hair and smoothed her apron before picking up the receiver. "Hello?" she said, winking at Bella. "Oh, hello, honey. No, everything is fine. Working late? I understand. I might just take Bella out for a quick bite."

When she hung up the phone, Bella stared at her open mouthed.

"What? You're not a little girl anymore. It's time you learned something about handling men."

"I just never guessed—but if Dad's not here, how are we going to get there?" Bella asked.

"Mr. Weber will pick us up. Your father can't complain if a minister takes us, right?" Renee asked.

There was a knock on the door, and Bella opened it to find Mr. Weber standing on the front porch, admiring the flat of African violets Renee had bought but not brought inside yet. "Good-afternoon, Miss Swan. Is your mother here?" he asked.

"Thank you for stopping by, Reverend," Renee said, popping up behind Bella, carrying her casserole. "It's just that I thought it would be neighborly to welcome the Whitlocks, since Jasper is going to school with our children."

"And I agree, Mrs. Swan. I'm always stopping by the cabins, inviting the men to services, but just being neighborly is a good approach."

"And I almost forgot. Bella, will you grab the jello mold out of the fridge?" Renee asked Bella.

Bella almost raised an eyebrow but didn't. She went to the fridge and found a plate covered with a dome of foil. She peeked underneath and found a red jello mold with pineapple in it.

When she brought it out, Renee smiled brightly at Mr. Weber and said, "I hope they like pineapple."

"Everybody loves pineapple, Mrs. Swan. It's a healthy addition to anyone's diet," Mr. Weber remarked cheerfully.

They trooped outside and climbed into Mr. Weber's Chevy Bel Air. It was a 1955, two-tone, blue and white. The whole town knew about that car, which he kept it in great condition, as they had all watched him washing and waxing it on the weekends.

They drove to the edge of town, the car bouncing Bella as Mr. Weber, following Renee's directions, left the main road and turned down a dirt road. After what seemed like forever, they saw a mailbox on the side of the road. Mr. Weber turned down the dirt path, and soon they found a small cabin in a clearing.

Jasper and an older man were in front of the house when they pulled up. Jasper introduced his uncle, and the men shook hands.

"We don't usually get company out here, other than men from the company. Didn't recognize the sound of that car," Jasper told Bella as they went inside.

It was small, but large enough for Mr. Weber, Renee and Bella to stand inside. There was a stove and small fridge, a rough-hewn, picnic-style table with matching bench, and two beds, neatly made with plaid quilts on top. There was also a small desk next to the bench, stacked with textbooks and notebooks.

"That's where I study," Jasper told Bella, touching the back of her hand. She wanted to take his hand, but was nervous with the minister standing nearby.

"I do most of the cooking outside, on the grill," Jeb was telling Renee and Mr. Weber. "I like to grill, and the stove, though nice, well, I don't use it much. I'm more of an outdoorsman, but I like for my nephew to have the advantages of home."

"It looks very homey," Mr. Weber said warmly. "You do all the work yourself?"

"I had some help from a few of the men," Jeb replied. "There was some thought that I was putting myself over the others saying I was better, in building this cabin, but I just told them it was for my nephew. A few came over, but I did most of the work myself. Fired the logs to keep them more stable. Won't have to last more than a few years."

Renee exclaimed over the fine work Jasper had done on the furniture he had contributed, especially a rocking chair. He promised to make her one.

Renee soon found an excuse to return to Jeb's cabin, bringing curtains and a tablecloth. If it was decorating, Renee was good with it. It was the maintenance side of homemaking, the daily cleaning and cooking, that she couldn't handle.

It wasn't long after she brought the curtains that she found an excuse to come back with rugs.

"This cabin is beginning to feel like a home," Jeb said.

"Glad you like it. It was one of my grandmother's," Renee replied.

Charlie had helped her bring the rug and he looked at it with new interest.

Uncle Jeb adored Renee, Jasper told Bella. "He thinks she's a fine woman. Is she happy?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she be?" she asked him, wondering how Jasper could sense Renee's longings.

Bella knew her mother was unhappy, and for her part, she was determined to go to college. During the summer, she researched the colleges in the area, sent for the application forms, which she completed as well as the all-important scholarship forms. She was hoping to land a scholarship as she had always done well in school. She had everything ready to send out in the fall.

Xxx

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	7. Chapter 7 - Sweet Summertime

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 7– Sweet Summertime

As the summer passed, Jasper and his uncle Jeb became regulars for Sunday dinner at the Swans'.

One weekend, Jasper's Uncle Jeb told Charlie he would like to BBQ for them.

Jasper had told Bella that Jeb's BBQ sauce took three days to make—three days of constant stirring. It was hard to do with both men working, but they managed. Jeb and Jasper staggered their lunches and left it on low during the times they were both away. But anything cooked in it tasted like heaven, with flavors rich and deep, imbued with smoke and sunshine. Bella had first encountered it at one of their picnics where they took turns bringing the food.

The first time Jasper brought it to their picnic, Bella's eyes nearly crossed when she tasted it. She had never had ribs, or anything else, that tasted that good before.

On his third visit to the Swan's house for dinner, Jeb brought an extra chicken for the freezer.

As he presented it to Renee, he said, "For some evening when you're tired, Mrs. Swan."

After Bella told Charlie that the sauce took three days, when Jeb invited them, Charlie asked to help with the sauce. Bella could tell the two men were becoming friends. They went fishing some Sundays, which were often the only days Jeb and Jasper weren't working for the lumber company.

The BBQs became a tradition. The group ate at the cabin one Sunday and at the Swans' the next. Jasper made a few more chairs and a picnic table so the families could sit outside under the trees. Sometimes they ate fish, other times they had BBQ.

Charlie commented that Jeb had taken to fishing well. "He understands the necessity for quiet," he told Bella. "Some guys want to talk, but this man can sit for hours. Sometimes I can tell he has a lot on his mind, but other times, he's fine. He's born for this."

"So Charlie likes your uncle," she told Jasper the next time she saw him. 

"And Uncle Jeb likes your father," Jasper said as he stripped down a new piece of wood to whittle. "Mother's brother doesn't take to many people. I mean, people like him, but he picks who he wants to spend time with."

"Did he fish in Texas?" she asked.

"He didn't do a lot of fishing back home. Mostly hunting, some card paying," Jasper replied. "He's good at that. Still plays cards with the guys some days when it's too rainy to work."

"Does he win?'

"He takes care not to win too often," Jasper said. "He says he learns a lot about a man by playing a few hands with him."

"You should teach me," Bella said, watching him turn the wood in his hands.

"Why?" he asked, putting the wood down to reach out to touch her hair. "So you can find a new way to get with men?"

"No, I just…"

"I know," Jasper replied, stroking her face to tell her he was teasing. She leaned into his hand and blushed, watching the muscles in his arms as he pulled her close.

She liked to run her hands down the hard lines of his body. Sometimes his muscles, especially in his back, twitched after a hard day. She would walk on his back barefoot to help ease them.

One day, when Bella came to their cabin, it was very tense. Jeb smiled at her, but Jasper's face and neck looked tight. She guessed they had been arguing.

They left, hand in hand, Jeb watching them then closing the door as the couple pulled away in Jasper's truck.

"What…?" Bella began.

"Another accident at a work site. Smith had his arm cut off. Nearly bled to death before being transported to the hospital. Jeb wants me to leave," Jasper said.

"What happened?"

Jasper shrugged. "Trees don't always fall where they're supposed to. Or equipment doesn't work. Or a man won't ask enough questions before handling a new saw, which is what we think happened today."

Bella waited a few seconds, then asked the question that had been troubling her during the time she had known Jasper. She didn't understand why he and Jeb never went back to Texas. She had never asked the question, because she didn't want to lose him, and kept thinking that if she asked, he might think about leaving. Stupid, she knew, but still.

"Does he want you to go back to Texas?" she asked.

"Yep," he said, staring intently on the road. A road he had driven countless times.

Bella worried when he got that far away look. "Don't you miss it?" she asked him.

"Yes and no," he answered, finally relaxing and leaning across the seat to put his arm around her. "When I got here, I hated the rain and the hills. Texas was open, hot and dry. You could stand almost anywhere and feel the world and sky surround you. Here, there are hills, lots of clouds, and trees. And my job is to cut down the trees.

But then, I met you. That changes how things feel," he finished, leaning over to give her a kiss.

She closed her eyes, savoring the kiss. They occasionally stole kisses, but nothing heavy—much to Bella's disappointment. It seemed to her that because of his reputation, Jasper was being extra cautious with her.

Their time together was limited to the weekends, as Jasper spent the summer working side-by-side with his Uncle Jeb for the lumber company all week. Their days were long, and he came home exhausted.

Saturday nights, Jasper and Bella went to the movies. They took turns choosing the show to see. For some reason, Bella kept picking out horror movies, and Jasper picked out romances. She wanted to see Vincent Price and Christopher Lee in "The Oblong Box," and he wanted to see "Sweet Charity."

There was never any question of going to a drive-in theater. If the movie they wanted to see wasn't in the Forks movie house, Charlie always drove them to Port Angeles in his squad car. He wouldn't hear of Jasper driving Bella into the nearby city.

In the car, Jasper was able to keep up the conversation by discussing baseball with him. Charlie did love his sports. While they were at the movie, Charlie would wait for them, sometimes seeing another movie if there was one playing.

The time they went to see "True Grit," both Renee and Charlie went with them because Renee wanted to see it. Bella and Jasper sat behind them, and Bella watched as Charlie put his arm around Renee, and she lay her head on his shoulder.

On one of their trips, a heated discussion of the latest baseball scandal had broken out between Charlie and Jasper.

When they got home and Charlie went inside, Jasper had lingered on the porch, sitting on the swing with Bella. She asked, "Do you like all those sports?"

"Well, back home, it was football. Football is king in Texas. But I enjoy playing baseball. The others, I boned up on because it gave me something to talk about with your father."

"I can't believe you're doing that," Bella said.

"Beats having a man licensed to carry a gun hovering over you all the time," he said, tickling her ribs.

The summer flew by, ending too quickly. Senior year was looming on the horizon, just like the rain that would start in September. Bella was excited for the upcoming year, yet still felt nervous about what would happen after graduation.

Perceptive as ever, Renee picked up on Bella's worries. "Enjoy your senior year, honey. You'll never forget it, whatever happens."

Xxx

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	8. Chapter 8 - Senior Year

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 8 – Senior Year

_The summer flew by, ending too quickly. Senior year was looming on the horizon, just like the rain that would start in September. Bella was excited for the upcoming year, yet still felt nervous about what would happen after graduation._

_Perceptive as ever, Renee picked up on Bella's worries. "Enjoy your senior year, honey. You'll never forget it, whatever happens." _

Though Bella had watched Jasper play baseball over the summer, baseball season was over by the time school started. Jasper didn't play football, but the couple planned to attend Homecoming.

It rained the entire week leading up to the Homecoming game, but on game day, the sun was shining.

School spirit, on display all week, peaked on the big day. The cheerleaders wore their uniforms, and spirit posters hand lettered on large blocks of construction paper lined the hallways. Bella and Jasper took turns guessing who had written each one.

"Lauren," Bella said, pointing to the elaborate scroll beginnings of the letters and the lines under each word, lines that had been penciled in and erased, leaving a pale shadow under each word.

"Agreed," Jasper said.

"I think this one's Jessica's," said Bella.

"I don't thinks so. The writer didn't put hearts over the letter 'I's," said Jasper.

"You've seen enough of her handwriting to know that?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "All of Jessica's notebooks have hearts over the 'i'. Even Biology gets its heart."

"Paying a lot of attention to another girl," said Bella in mock jealousy.

"And Jessica has her name and Mike Newton's inside of hearts on the back of the notebooks. It wouldn't surprise me," Jasper drawled, "if their wedding invitations had hearts over the 'Mike' on them, too."

Bella started laughing. Jasper always cracked her up. If he couldn't get her laughing with his observations on their teachers or classmates, he would do a surprise tickle attack.

"Hey, no hands under sweaters in school unless you mean it," she whispered, as she batted uselessly at one his invading hands during a hallway tickle attack.

The night of homecoming evening, they went to the game together, where they watched the Spartans lose. They held hands at the bonfire, and Bella watched the play of shadows on his face.

That fall, the news was full of stories on the Vietnam War and the student protests. They watched a little of the news together when Jasper came home with her to work on homework. Charlie kept a close watch on them, but they stayed in the living room, occasionally playing footsie but focused on the work. Jasper wanted Bella to keep up her GPA, and he was considering taking some accounting classes so he was taking an additional math class.

This year, Bella dreaded winter break, because Jasper and Jeb were going home to Texas for Christmas. She couldn't begrudge him wanting to see his family, but she didn't like the separation. They were gone for three weeks, the longest three weeks ever, Bella thought. Renee let her call him once a week, which hardly felt enough. But Bella knew money was tight, with college coming in less than a year.

For Christmas, she bought Jasper a new baseball glove which Charlie had helped her pick out from Newton's Outfitters. She had given her present to Jeb right after Thanksgiving to take back to Texas. Jasper had left a present for her with Renee.

On Christmas morning came, Bella opened her presents with Renee and Charlie, exclaiming delight but all the time, she was waiting for her chance to talk to Jasper at 10:00 a.m. as they had arranged on their last phone call. A light snow had fallen, so she went out with Charlie to make a snowman, but failing that, they got into a snowball fight. Renee came outside and joined them, and the two women ganged up on Charlie. Somehow, he still won. It ended when he had one under each arm, and they all fell to the ground laughing.

10:00 a.m. finally came, and she raced inside for the phone. As Bella and Jasper opened their presents together, Bella swore to herself this was the last time they would ever be separated over the holidays.

Bella's present from Jasper was wrapped in red paper with a pattern of small holly leaves. When she opened it, she saw it was a small box. Her heart beat faster. It was a little large for a ring, but still, it was possible. Renee hung over her with an excited look as she opened the box. It contained a locket with a delicately painted floral pattern on the front. Inside, Jasper had put a lock of his hair. She opened the casing and pulled out the yellow hair, twirling it around her finger once before putting it back in.

"Do you like it?" Jasper asked anxiously.

"I love it," she told him.

"I'm glad. My older sister has one and she seems to really like it," he said. "My father gave it to her. Hers just has family photos in it."

Bella thought about putting family photos in hers. Their family. Some day in the future. "That sounds really nice," she said aloud.

"I told my mother all about you," Jasper told Bella. "She's dying to meet you, of course."

"Oh, no! What did you say?" Bella demanded, wrapping the phone cord around her wrist about fifty thousand times, as Charlie put it.

"I told her you were as smart as you are beautiful, and that she would love you," he replied.

After what seemed forever, Jasper was back in Forks. He had a new winter coat, a dark blue parka with a fur trimmed hood. He never wore the hood up though. Bella liked watching the snow on his hair, but didn't like that his ears got red. She would take off her mittens and put her hands over his ears to warm them.

"Your Mom give you that?" Bella asked the first time she saw him wearing it.

"Yeah, she worries," Jasper replied. "It's been hard to convince her that our cabin is heated. But it is."

Renee and Charlie had worried about the same thing. But when they came by one cold night unannounced, on the pretext of bringing an apple pie to share, Jeb invited them in. They took off their mittens and warmed their hands over the stove. They left convinced that neither of the Whitlocks would freeze to death in their cabin.

Xxx

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	9. Chapter 9 - Senior Year - Plans

Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters, with the support of my patient beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

Chapter 9 – Senior Year - Plans

_Renee and Charlie had worried about the same thing. But when they came by one cold night unannounced, on the pretext of bringing an apple pie to share, Jeb invited them in. They took off their mittens and warmed their hands over the stove. They left convinced that neither of the Whitlocks would freeze to death in their cabin._

Winter lingered that year. There was no logging during the rainy-snowy seasons of fall and winter, so most of the seasonal workers were gone by late fall. Only Jasper and Jeb stayed on. During this time, Jeb took a few quiet trips back to Texas while Jasper stayed in school. Bella knew that Jasper wasn't supposed to be left alone, so she didn't say anything.

A few times Charlie wanted to invite the two over for dinner as he had during the summer months, but Bella told him that Jeb was feeling under the weather, so Jasper would be coming alone. Initially Charlie let it go, but Bella had the feeling her father suspected the truth.

One night mid-February, Charlie turned the conversation to Jeb.

"So how's your uncle, Jasper?" Charlie asked.

"Just feeling a little under the weather tonight, sir," Jasper replied. He couldn't look Charlie in the face when he said it though. Bella saw him glance down at his food then look back up.

"Hm," said Charlie. "Well, when he's feeling poorly, you should sleep over here."

Jasper started to object, but Charlie continued. "Look, I don't want to have to run you back to your cabin and find that, say, he's not there at all, understood?"

"Understood, sir," said Jasper.

"Family situations are just that," Charlie said. "Family situations. I'm beginning to consider you family, so you should stay here rather than alone out there in the woods."

After that, Jasper spent a few weekends at their house. When Bella crept downstairs in the mornings, she would find him on the sofa under a red sleeping bag, tousled blond hair on the pillow and one socked foot dangling from under the cover.

Those weekends he stayed over, Jasper and Bella never tried anything in the house, as they were both sure that however concerned Charlie might have been for Jasper, he wouldn't have stood for him "interfering" with his daughter.

In early March, Bella waited anxiously for her letters from the colleges she had applied to. The first two letters that came in disappointed her. She had been accepted, but they were not in a position to offer her aid.

She felt it was a nice way of saying no.

Renee always gave her the mail when she came home from school. When the third envelope arrived, the one from the University of Washington, Renee was waiting for her at the door with it.

"It's here," Renee said, waving the envelope in the air.

Bella took it and hugged it to her chest. It was thicker than the two rejections she had received.

Renee stood in front of Bella, waiting. "Are you going to open it?" Renee asked.

Bella closed her eyes, fighting back tears. This could be her ticket out of Forks.

Finally she opened it. The university was offering her a financial aid package with their acceptance. She would be able to go to college in the fall.

"They said yes," she told Renee.

She handed the letter to Renee, who jumped up and down when she read it.

"You're in! You're going!" Renee squealed. "Oh, honey, I'm so excited for you."

Thoughts of leaving Forks, the dreary, rainy town she had grown up in, flashed through Bella's head. The only pangs she had about leaving were about Jasper. Maybe he could get a job in Seattle, or she could drive home on weekends. They would work it out, but it made the moment unexpectedly bittersweet.

When Jasper came by later that night to work on homework, Bella threw herself into his arms.

"Whoa, what's this?" he said, laughing as he pulled her close.

She could feel Charlie's eyes and turned her head. Charlie was watching them, biting his lip. Had he picked up that habit from her?

"Not that I'm complaining," Jasper whispered. His eyes were on Charlie as well.

"I was accepted by the University of Washington, and they gave me a scholarship," she squealed.

"Of course they did, honey," said Jasper, kissing the top of her head. "I knew you could do it."

After Bella's acceptance was announced, Charlie asked Jasper at dinner, "And you, son? What are your plans after graduation?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Jasper replied. "Mr. White has offered me an office job with the logging company working with the books, if I get a little more schooling in." Jasper reached over and took Bella's hand and looked directly at Charlie. "I can't support a family on logging, as a logger."

"Go on," Charlie encouraged.

"I've been talking to Mr. White for a while now, and I've always had a head for figures. He's going to let me help with the books. After a little more schooling," Jasper said.

"Really?" Charlie looked impressed.

Jasper nodded his head. His hair, near chin-length, shook with the movement. He had taken some heat for it, but Bella loved it. He seemed to know, and so far, hadn't been in any fights. He could swing an axe with any man, and the lumber company seemed to appreciate him. The guys from the school had a healthy appreciation of the muscles that came with his work and didn't challenge him.

Bella's heart constricted looking at him, worrying that she couldn't keep him for long.

Xxx

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